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KOTCL

KOTCL developer diaries: on animations, game runs, and balance

Committed to Work

We continue adding visual cues for various cases. For example, take a look at these guys—their heads are so ablaze! To achieve such a look and avoid fire damage, all you need is to find 2 items from the Fire Fanatic Set and presto, you're truly combustible!

Hocus Pocus!

What card game is complete without tricks? No cheating, just sleight of hand! But unlike professional tricksters, we use the magic of animation. Sometimes card costs may change during the game, so we had to deal with the task of creating a clear and noticeable effect so that players would definitely pay attention to it. After trying out several options, we finally found a successful one. What do you think? We're waiting for your comments.
In addition to the visual updates, we’ve added new effects for attack cards. For example, the "Full Force" attack will be truly merciless now, while the "Guard Lunge" will not only deal damage but also cause bleeding. Poor dwarf, he has to bear it all!
Our animators’ efficient and effective hands are now working on the heroes’ effects. Here’s Persival trying out animations for the "Agile Guard" and "Reinforcement".

The Taste of Freedom

What's new in the free runs? We've made some adjustments to this system and revamped it a bit. Now, the hero can start a free run with any class, and then later they'll encounter intricate and complex adventures with different classes, rewards, and other goodies. We've also worked on the visual aspect and created some beauty. But these things are all for the days to come; and soon you'll be able to see new interesting notes.

How About Some Chit-Chat?

Hi everyone, this is Andrew aka Innrey, the founder of Redboon.

The day of release is approaching and the challenges are increasing in number. This is not news to me; no one expected this to be easy, simple, or carefree. A multitude of tasks and problems fill all our time and sometimes push life outside of work to the back burner. Of course, all this variety makes life rich and quite vivid, but there's a nuance.

We talk a lot—and will continue to talk—about balance in games. But there's another type of balance that can disrupt a lot, if not everything. I'm talking about the balance between work and personal life.

When I first started the studio, I was passionate about creating the game (and I still am), and we worked hard on it with great enthusiasm. As the game developed and new content was added, along with changes in the team, it became clear that it would be tough without moderating work processes. It's important to remember that game development isn't just a profession; it's associated with hobbies and passions. Also, it's essential not to forget that life outside the studio also matters. Therefore, it's important to learn to separate work from personal life, find time for relaxation, for yourself, for family and friends.

Of course, establishing clear boundaries will help; moreover, we try to do exactly that, and I don't approve of overworking. But unfortunately, remote work outside the office makes this task more difficult and blurs the line that lets you say, "Well, it's already 6 PM, time to go home." And sometimes it's not easy to adhere to this distinction; life in the gaming community doesn't operate on a strict schedule.

I won't talk here about obvious truths like the importance of rest, lifestyle, and so on; everyone knows that well. It's also well known that people are not robots, and accumulated fatigue can smoothly transition into burnout. Do you remember how I wrote a warning to aspiring developers? In it, I also mentioned burnout in the context of taking on large projects. In general, burnout is an insidious enemy and can creep upon anyone, even the most energetic and productive person.

I also believe that it's very important to interact with your team, communicate with them, understand them, and know what's going on inside. Periodically, we gather as a team for non-work meetings and just talk, discuss new games and movies, share plans, impressions, and spend time together. I think this helps us feel like a cohesive team and boosts motivation. And motivation is what we’re going to need in copious amounts because there's still a lot of work ahead, and no one has canceled pre-release crunches. So we’re getting ready both mentally and physically.

Some other things that boost our motivation are good reviews, support, and positive communication with players. Therefore, my friends, don't forget about our social networks, and to subscribe to them, write comments, or join our Discord—we are always waiting for you and happy to see you.

I guess that's all I wanted to say today. Don’t forget about balance, as our team tries not to, pay attention to your physical and emotional well-being. And remember that taking self-care isn't selfishness; it's care about your future and the future of your projects.

Enjoy yourselves out there! See you next Friday!